


Missing 6 months

by 50tabsoffanfiction



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, RIORDAN Rick - Works, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-05-27 13:49:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15026000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/50tabsoffanfiction/pseuds/50tabsoffanfiction
Summary: Starts where Heroes of Olympus ended and ends with where Trails of Apollo begins.What exactly happened to the demigods when Apollo went missing.





	1. Week 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not really proofread, I just needed to get this part out. I AM SORRY FOR BADMINTON QUALITY I am stressing out over college entrance exams

Will unwrapped Nico's bandages revealing stitched up wounds.

"Reyna did a pretty decent job considering," Will muttered to himself as he cleaned the wounds.

The infirmary was a busy mess. Both roman and greek demigods were coming in and out. For some of the injured there were to three healers tending the injuries. Few kids became amputees, so Hephestus and Vulkan's children attached them to some prosthetics. Nico tried to focus on anything but Will's warm touch.

The healer wrapped new bandage over freshly cleaned injury.

"Drink this." Will said holding a bottle of gatorade. "Coach told me this helps you stay still." He added when Nico gave him a puzzled look.

Nico drank the gatorade. Will sat next to the bed.

"Coach and Reyna told me pretty much everything from your trip, but."

"But what?"

"Your immune system. The darkness. Sure long jumps could've caused all that strain to your body, but." Will wrapoed and unwrapped some bandage on his wrist.

"Spill it out, Will. What?"

"You were half dead before the trip. You almost died on the trip from over exhaustion with every jump."

Nico went silent.

"I have to ask you. And you do not need to tell me detailed response, but the information you give me will help you recover faster."

"What do you want to know?"

"Have you really been to Tartarus?"

Nico weakly nodded. He didn't want to be reminded of his time in the pit of hell. His time trapped in a jar without air to breathe.

Will pulled out pieces of paper and handed it to Nico.

"I never been there so I can't imagine the horrors you faced." He said. "This are what Annabeth and Percy reported about their experiences and some PTSD questioners. You can fill it up and. Write your own experiences. If you feel comfortable. It will help woth your treatment I swear."

"You talk too much."

Will left Nico alone to fill in the questionnaires.

1\. Repeated, disturbing memories, thoughts, or images of a stressful experience from the past?

Nico didn't have to think about the answer. He did. He had trouble sleeping, because when he dreamed he was back in that jar. Grasping for air. He checked few boxes as honestky as he could think of. As honestly as he felt.

4\. Feeling distant or cut off from other people?

To be perfectly honest with himself Nico always felt distant from others. Even before he knew he was a demigod. He could never fit in with the mortals, and as a son of Hades he was outcast even as a demigod. Now after the Tartarus, and the entire war he was more alien to others than he ever was before.

7\. I felt as if it hadn’t happened or wasn’t real

Nico knew what he experienced was real. He knew. It was real. However the bizarre the entire thing was, it was real.

10\. I'm easily on guard.

Yes.

Cecil limped next to Nico. The boy was walking with the help of crutches. Son of Hermes placed the crutches by the chair, and laid his injured foot on Nico's bed. Nico was tempted to push it away, but he refrained it.

"I see Sunny MD finally got you in here." Cecil said.

"Will?"

"Yes Sunny MD." Cecil grinned. " Lou Ellen gave him that nickname at I am not about to let it die."

"It suits him." Nico didn't know why he said it, but he agreed with the nickname.

"Don't you think?" Cecil shook his head in amusement. "So how long are you in for? Cuz I am getting this cast off today. Thank you, ambrosia!"

"Will said three days."

"Mmmhhmm. Are you for a game of uno?"

"Uhh. What?"

"Medics are busy testing out prosthetics and surgeries. So we other injured have to find a creative way to pass the time." Cecil conjured a deck of uno playing cards out of thin air. "Besides. Stolls won't let Cards Against Humanity leave cabin 11."

"What's the catch?" Nico knew children of Hermes and Mercury well enough not to trust them in card games.

"Im bored, and you are the only one I know here whois not busy." Cecil shuffled the cards, once they were shuffled he presented them to Nico. "Are you in?"

Nico cut the deck and placed a card on the middle. As the two played more people joined in. A girl from Demeter cabin and a roman, son of Vulkan who was on break. It was an easy game to play and Nico barely noticed passage of time.

Will went from one patient to the other. He helped roman demigods recover, and thought them his healing methods. By noon he barely felt his legs. He pushed through his lack of energy. During his break he took a sandwich that a roman son of minnor god made for every medic.

He overheard few gossips about Nico. He had been hearing those whispers for days, but now everyone was discussing his well being rather than his fate. If the boy is strong enough to live or where he would stay.

Will found himself smiling thinking about how Nico will stay back at the camp. When he finally found time for himself he went back to check back on Nico, to find the boy surrounded by other teens playing uno. Will stood behind Cecil to peak at his cards. Cecil had the draw wild four and two other regular cards, so Will appreciatively whistled. Entire group clenched their ears.

"Dude. Warning!" Cecil pushed Will back.

"Who's winning?"

"Billie." Cecil nodded towards the daughter of Demeter. She had one card left.

"But not yet." Nico said as he skipped her."What's up Sunny MD?"

Cecil laughed as he placed his wild card making Rich, the son of Vulkan, cuss as he searched his own deack of cards only to be forced to get more cards.

"I came to check up on you. It's lunch time."

"We are done here." Billie said as she placed her final card.

Rich threw his cards on top of the deck in frustration.

"That was fun." Cecil said as he took cards from everyone.

"I'm not hungry." Nico said.

"Not a request. You will eat."

"I have to go pack." Said Rich and left.

"Cecil, put the presher off the leg. I'll get you all lunches. There is veggie option and regular."

"I want the veggie option." Cecil said raising his hand.

"Can I get the burrito in a bowl?" asked Billie.

Will nodded. "And Nico?"

"Whatever."

"So a fruit salad and gatorade for you. I'll be right back with food."

After lunch Nico was visited by Hazel and Frank, who came as soon as they packed and sorted their duties as commanders. Hazel made Nico promise he will contact her as much as he can and to look after himself.

Right before curfew Will came by Nico's bedside yet again. This time he had a travel mug and a box in the other.

"What's that?"

"Something to help you sleep." Will said and handed him the mug. "Clovis speciality. Camomile tea with a drop from river Lythe." Then he shook the tablet box. "And some of the finest western sleeping medication."

Nico took a sip of the tea. It tasted like Camomile tea with bit of milk. Soothing and warm. He instantly felt calmer and sleepier.

"Clovis guaranteed that it will make you sleep like dead. No dreams whatsoever." Will placed the medication next to Nico. "This is if the tea doesn't help."

"Thank you."

"No problem." Will smiled. "Good night, Nico. I would say sweet dreams but that would be empty wish don't you think."

Nico couldn't help but smile with the son of Apollo. He blamed on the other boys infections friendly personality.

"Good night Will."

Nico didn't remember falling asleep. The potion he had gotten worked like magic. He could still taste the sweetness of it in his mouth. Like sticky morning breath. He didn't want to open up his mouth before he could do triple shot of mouth wash.

"How did you sleep?" Will asked when he arrived to the infirmary.

"Barely felt like I did."

"Are you tired?" He didn't even look at Nico, but at his notepad. He scribbled and wrote and scribbled all while not breaking conversation.

"No."

"Good."Will said plucking up and closing his pad. "You can start with cutting up ambrosia into squares"

"What? "

"I mean, you can do nothing and just occupy place. Or you can do something and fill your day."

"Shouldn't I be resting?"

"Are you running around. Shadow travelling. Exhasting your energy?"

"No?"

"So cut some ambrosia."

"I feel like you're using your patients to do the work you don't want to." Nico couldn't help but let a shy smile as he rolled back into the bed.

"You got me." Will smiled back. "Those dull mundane tasks of cutting fruit really bores me. I'd much rather be working with entire Hephestus cabin trying to get the neurons to connect to a prosthetics."

"You're the worst." Nico said as he got up. "I'll cut it"

"You're a life saver!" Will exclaimed. Picked up his notepad and led Nico to the kitchen bumbling about something Nico couldn't pay attention. All he could think was the small ping of guilt of being called a life saver. He wasn't a life saver. He was son of Hades. He killed. He brought death. Will on the other hand. Will was literal life saver.

The rest of his stay at the infirmary weren't eventful. Cecil managed to sneak out Cards Against Humanity and got even the medics to play.

"I'm sorry Professor, I couldn't do my homework because," Will read the black card before the answers, "Poor life choises. Mood. Daddy issues. Who ever put this, too real. An Oedipus complex. How does that make sense."

Will started laughing a hard bellow laugh as soon as he flipped next white card.

"Sorry, Professor, I couldn't do the homework because of me!" Will read in between laughs. The card wasn't Nico's, and he didn't get the joke, but he wished he made it so that he'd be the one to make Will laugh like that.

"Geez. Who put this? I couldn't do my homework because suicide petitions. Heathers refrence wins."

"Wait what? Refrence to what?" Nico looked over at Austin receiving his black card.

Everyone gasped, which made Nico feel even more stupid than before. He wished he could take back the question. Everyone in game looked between the Apollo cabin, specifically Austin and Will, and Nico. That's when both sons of Apollo described the plot of both the movie and the musical, and the differences. Will focused more on the movie, while Austin gave some musical information. It was a while before they continued the game. Finally it was Nico's turn to be the tsar.

"This feels way too personal." He cracked a smile and read. "The healing process started when I joined the support group for victims of. Blank."

"Ughh I have nothing good," said Cecil.

"Too bad I've got the perfect one!" Austin said, who was in the lead.

White cards were placed and Nico read them. Some made sense. Some not. Nico didn't find any of them particularly funny. But then.

"Girls generation." Nico burst out laughing. Everyone stared in shock as Nico clutched his aching stomach. "This one." He said still laughing. "This is the winner!"

 

"Thank you." Will reached out for the black card.

Austin still won the game, but Nico found out that Will knows his dark humour and is as equally dark. He also found out how much he wanted to hear Will laugh.

When he was let out the infirmary Nico met up with Piper and Jason. The two were still grieving over Leo's death, and Nico didn't want to tell them how unnatural the latinos boy felt like. Didn't want to upset them further.

"You're leaving?" Nico asked Jason when the blond boy told him the news.

"I've been stuck at camps for as long as I can remember. Piper's dad is doing some arrangements with Piper's new school so I would be enrolled there too. Start living normal life." Jason said.

"You leaving. What's the point of me staying then?" Nico asked.

"You won't be alone." Piper said. "There will be plenty of year rounders. They are all lovely people. "

She thought about it and said. "But watch out for Elis. He is some nasty work. Rest of them pretty chill."

"Especially Solace." Jason nudged.

"Stop it. He is not my type." Nico said.

Nico had already came out to Piper after Jason told him she would be accepting, and that he coukd trust her.

"Then what is your type."

"I don't know." Nico admitted.

If he were honest to himself, well to others he would have said Will was his type. Fun. Charming. Dark sense of humor. Too bad the healer was way out of his league. And with his luck probably straight. Knowing fates and goddess of misery, they will not let him be happy and in love. After meeting Eros, love was a thing Nico dreaded even more.

"I am where you least expect me."

For him that's a scary thought. He hated not knowing.

Next day Nico went to the infirmary on a reflex, right after he woke up. He expected to be greeted by Will's sunny disposition and a task to do, instead he was greeted by Clarisse who was helping a kid walk with a prosthetics on.

"Hey twirp."

"Clarisse."

Someone deeper in the infirmary yelled out something. It took him a moment to realise it was italian. Someone yelled in italian "KID OF DEATH IS HERE!"

"Good! I can't stand listening about him anymore." Came the reply, also in italian. Sonya, daughter of Apollo exited a secluded room.

 

"What was that about?" Nico whispered to Clarisse, as Sonya went up to Nico.

"What the Italian?" Clarisse asked, "It's their language. Music. Poetry." She explained when Nico still looked at her blankly.

"Hey, Nico!" Sonya waved with her entire body. "Can you look after Will for a few I need a break from that idiot."

Confused Nico nodded and Sonya told him where Will was.

Will's one hand was strapped to a bed. With his free hand he slurped a juice box. He looked absolutely miserable.

"What happened?"

Will jumped up and spilled some juice over himself. He cursed in ancient greek.

"Don't sneak up on a guy!"

"Seriously, Will. What happened. "

"I overheated in simple terms."

"What?"

"Used my healing powers way too regularly and...like a computer that overworked."

"Okay, but. Why are you tied to the bed?"

Will picked up his tied up hand, "You mean this? Sonya doesn't trust me not to go out and use my powers."

"Cause you can't be trusted."

"Wanna help me pass the time?"

"What do you wanna do? Play uno?"

"I was thinking mythomagic. Haven't played that since you ran away the first time."

Nico was reminded how the two met. Bianca and the others just went out for their quest. After Percy left too, Nico was left alone in a camp he barely knew anyone at with nothing but a deck of playing cards, couple of figurines and worry. A blond boy his age had a similar deck and helped him pass the time. Nico hadn't thought about Will when he ran away after Bianca didn't return. Will seemed unimportant. Now Nico wanted to punch his younger self for thinking that. Will was if not is the most important demigod at camp. The one who heals until he breaks.

"I don't. I no longer have my deck."

"It's fine." Will nodded to the door. "Just ask Sonya to give you mythomagic set."

So he did. Sonya gave him a box filled with cards and figurines. Some were tied in a deck woth a rubber band, others were loose. When he returned to Will, healer explained how he convinced Chiron to buy bulk and found some old cards in the attic.

"I have been collecting for little kids here. But they had newer games. Never got around to playing the game, but I made my own deck."

Will picked up one of the tied up decks and invited Nico to make his own. Even out of practice Nico still won.


	2. August

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> August
> 
>   
>  With final funerals over Nico relaxed with Jason and Piper since Romans left to the west coast. After his initial week at infirmary he saw Will almost constantly. At the amphitheatre. Strawberry field. Around the cabins. Nico noticed Will at each funeral. Will never missed a single funeral, and always insisted to give a short speech, even if he barely knew the deceased. Nico noticed Will going from easy going to serious in split second. He noticed it back during the battle of Manhaten, but now it was different, It was like seeing something new and strange for the first time. Something thrilling.

With final funerals over Nico relaxed with Jason and Piper since Romans left to the west coast. After his initial week at infirmary he saw Will almost constantly. At the amphitheatre. Strawberry field. Around the cabins. Nico noticed Will at each funeral. Will never missed a single funeral, and always insisted to give a short speech, even if he barely knew the deceased. Nico noticed Will going from easy going to serious in split second. He noticed it back during the battle of Manhaten, but now it was different, It was like seeing something new and strange for the first time. Something thrilling.

Rachel watched the cave walls in frustration. Paint in one hand and brush in the other, but nothing came to her. Not even a prophecy about next weeks dinner. Not even simple which demigod will arrive home or stay. In frustration she picked up the brush and painted over previous prophecies, cursing Apollo. Praying for her gift back. Demigods were dropping like flies and her gift was the only thing useful to keep them alive. Her friends were counting for her to recite a prophecy. A single prophecy.

“Aunty Red?” a small voice asked from the entrance of the cave. Rachel recognized Will’s awful nickname for her, only children of Apollo were allowed to use. She turned to see Will nervously looking back and forth between her and her new painting. “You okay? Chiron and everyone are worried. You’ve been here for three days without.”

“So?”

“You haven’t came down to eat since the last funeral.” Will stated the fact.

“And they sent a workaholic to talk to workaholic. Ironic.” She mocked and threw the brush into the bucket of water.

Will shrugged. “When you put it like that.”

Will walked over to her. She turned away from him. She couldn’t face her friend. She was failing him.

“You still need to eat.” Rachel heard him say.

“I need to think.”

Days went by.

“Will. I told you I need to think.”

“And you also need to eat.” He brought a small plate of freshly cut apples and peaches.

“Apple a day, keeps the doctors away,” she mocked as she took a bite of an apple.

“If the doctor’s cute. Screw the fruit.” Will mocked back.

Rachel laughed, knowing full well how gay Will is. She knew the symbolism of apples in greek mythos, but she knew Will didn’t mean to hit on her for multiple reasons, and only wanted her to eat something. The joke about apples made her forget about her frustration. Will convicted Rachel to get out of her cave for meals. Mid August everything resumed back to normal. People were practicing. Some were climbing the climbing wall, others sword fighting. Those who weren’t were enjoying the last weeks of summer. Playing and plucking strawberries from the field. Jumping into the lake to cool down.

Will hated sword fighting. He was never good at it, and he seen people being rushed to be treated by him after a bad cut or a stab wound. Whoever invented swords will get a strongly worded letter from Will. He slashed and blocked the attacker, but he couldn’t find the opening in the other’s stance. If he only was able to use his bow and arrow, he might have chance, but Chiron insisted they needed to practice with other weapons to perfect their warrior skills. He cursed as he was being pushed back into a corner. Clarisse was ruthless. As a cabin cancellers they needed to demonstrate the techniques, and show the younger campers how to fight. Clarisse was showing them all the right moves, while Will was showing them all the wrong ones. He tried to get few good shots on Clarisse, but she refused to give an opening, and he was stuck with blocking her. She swung her sword and Will was too slow to block the blow.  
First he heard Clarisse cursing, then he felt the warm fluid coming out of his body.

Will knew the damage Clarisse caused was minimum. A scratch across his chest. Deep enough for few stitches, shallow enough to miss everything vital. He would be left with a scar from his shoulder to his chest, right where his armor protected him. First to visit him while he was being stitched up surprised him. Nico di Angelo rushed in as soon as he saw bloody Will being carried to the infirmary, demanding to know what happened.

“That’s it. I’ll be teaching you sword fighting!” Nico said once he heard the story.

“He is hopeless case.” Clarisse said, “I was even holding back.”

“That was holding back?!” Will sat up just to be pushed down by a medic stitching him up.

“When he got here, he barely could hold a sword.” Clarisse said ignoring Will’s input “What medics need are swords you don’t need to hold to slash at things.”

Nico shook his head.  
“I will teach him sword fighting," he said as if Will wasn't in the room.

“I’m fine guys. It’s just a simple flesh wound.”

“If it were a real fight you would’ve died. Do you know how many openings you gave me?”

“Bow and arrow aren’t good for close combat, and you need to know how to fight. As Chiron said-“

“Be prepared for any and all types of combat. I know. But swords and fighting aren’t my thing.”

“You just need to suck less at it.”

Final days of summer were coming to a close. People celebrated Percy’s seventeenth birthday that ended same way his sixteenth did. With him and Annabeth under the lake, this time by their own accord.

Will quickly got out of infirmary in the time to officially close it and make, Apollo cabin place of healing for the year rounders. A lot of campers already left, and it was only a day before the final summer cabin councillor's meeting.

Nico helped with the closing, which Will both loved and hated. His cabin mates kept glancing at the two of them and giggling. Few even teased him in italian that he's literally flirting with death. Nico was just a friend. He was only helping Will cause he got injured, nothing more was going on between the two teens.

Cabin counselors meet up to discuss who from their cabin will be stay the year. Jason, Percy and Nico were the only ones representing themselves and only themselves. Jason and Percy announced that they will be returning home for the year. Next was Demeter cabin. Miranda announced herself and another cabin mate, Billie Ng. Clarisse resigned as a year rounder and questioned her return for the next summer due to college. Two Ares children were announced to be staying. Ellis Wakefield and Sherman Yang. Annabeth too said she would be leaving the camp for the remainder of the year, and only one staying at Cabin Six was Austin Pace. Will announced two campers plus himself as year rounders, Kayla Knowles and Austin Lake. Nyssa sat instead of Leo and told she and Harley will stay while the rest left for home. Piper announced only one Aphrodite child as a year rounder, while she insisted she will be returning home with Jason. Travis, as Clarisse did, resigned his position to his brother and announced three campers plus Connor as year rounders. Nico announced himself as a year rounder. He was surprised when no one object or made a scene. Instead Laurel and Holly continued the meeting.

Closing the camp for the summer wasn't that difficult. Benefits of being a year rounder Chiron explained were few. Thanks to the camp border it will feel like summer all year round. He will let seasons pass but in most comfortable way. Schooling will count as viable schooling year. Satyrs, nymphs and Chiron would be teaching a subject to the kids. Both as would regular school system required and demigod lessons. Demigod lessions ment mythology lessions, and various types of fighting styles. Due to low number of campers, infirmary was moved to Apollo cabin. Also meals would be more like all you can buffet rather than how it is during summer.

"Wanna go swimming?" Will asked Nico as they were leaving the meeting.

Before Nico could even think of a reply a scroll fluttered towards the Big House.


End file.
